When is the 2026 World Cup?
June 11 – July 19, 2026 — 39 days, 104 matches. The opener is June 11 at Estadio Azteca, Mexico City (Mexico playing); the final is July 19 at MetLife Stadium, New York/New Jersey.
It opens June 11 at Estadio Azteca and ends with the final July 19 at MetLife. Here's the whole thing made simple — round-by-round timeline, how the new 48-team format works, which city hosts each knockout round, and how many matches each of the 16 host cities gets, with direct links to hotels near every stadium.
The 2026 World Cup runs June 11 – July 19 (39 days · 104 matches) across 16 cities in the USA, Canada and Mexico. The opening match is June 11 at Estadio Azteca, Mexico City (Mexico playing). The final is July 19 at MetLife Stadium, New York/New Jersey — the only city to host it. It's the first World Cup with 48 teams in 12 groups, adding a brand-new "Round of 32" to the knockout phase.
How the tournament flows — the group stage runs about 2.5 weeks, then it's wall-to-wall knockout football until the July 19 final.
Host nation Mexico kicks off at Estadio Azteca, Mexico City — the legendary venue that has staged two previous World Cup finals.
12 groups of four, matches in all 16 cities. The top two of each group plus the 8 best third-placed teams advance.
The first knockout round — debuting for the first time in World Cup history thanks to the 48-team expansion.
Down to the last 16 — lose and you're out.
Eight teams fight for four semi-final spots, in Boston · Los Angeles · Miami · Kansas City.
July 14 at AT&T Stadium (Dallas) · July 15 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta).
At Hard Rock Stadium, Miami.
At MetLife Stadium, New York/New Jersey.
The business end of the tournament, with the host venue for each. Exact kickoff times are confirmed once the group stage ends — most knockout matches are scheduled for late-afternoon or evening local time.
2026 is the first World Cup to grow from 32 to 48 teams — more matches, more rounds, and a "Round of 32" that has never existed before.
48 teams split into Groups A–L, playing a round-robin — 72 group-stage matches in total.
1st + 2nd of every group (24 teams) plus the 8 best third-placed teams = 32 teams.
The first knockout round, created by the 48-team format · single elimination.
Round of 16 → quarters (8) → semis (4), down to two teams in the final.
Losing semi-finalists meet in Miami; winners contest the final at MetLife.
FIFA has locked in the venue for every knockout round in advance (the actual matchups are set once the group stage ends) — tap a city for its World Cup guide and hotels near the stadium.
Scan how many matches your city gets and how deep into the tournament it goes — tap a city for its World Cup guide and per-city fixtures.
| City | Stadium | Matches | Deepest round | Guide + hotels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 Dallas | AT&T Stadium | 9 | Semi-final | Hotels near AT&T → |
| 🇺🇸 New York/NJ | MetLife Stadium | 8 | Final 🏆 | Hotels near MetLife → |
| 🇺🇸 Los Angeles | SoFi Stadium | 8 | Quarter-final | Hotels near SoFi → |
| 🇺🇸 Atlanta | Mercedes-Benz | 8 | Semi-final | Hotels near stadium → |
| 🇺🇸 Miami | Hard Rock Stadium | 7 | Third place | Hotels near Hard Rock → |
| 🇺🇸 Boston | Gillette Stadium | 7 | Quarter-final | Hotels near Gillette → |
| 🇺🇸 Houston | NRG Stadium | 7 | Round of 16 | Hotels near NRG → |
| 🇨🇦 Vancouver | BC Place | 7 | Round of 16 | Hotels near BC Place → |
| 🇨🇦 Toronto | BMO Field | 6 | Round of 32 | Hotels near BMO → |
| 🇺🇸 Kansas City | Arrowhead Stadium | 6 | Quarter-final | Hotels near Arrowhead → |
| 🇺🇸 Seattle | Lumen Field | 6 | Round of 16 | Hotels near Lumen → |
| 🇺🇸 San Francisco | Levi's Stadium | 6 | Round of 32 | Hotels near Levi's → |
| 🇺🇸 Philadelphia | Lincoln Financial | 6 | Round of 16 | Hotels near stadium → |
| 🇲🇽 Mexico City | Estadio Azteca | 5 | Round of 16 | Hotels near Azteca → |
| 🇲🇽 Guadalajara | Estadio Akron | 4 | Group stage | Hotels near Akron → |
| 🇲🇽 Monterrey | Estadio BBVA | 4 | Round of 32 | Hotels near BBVA → |
Hotel prices within range of a stadium jump 3–5× on match day and sell out fast. We've picked real hotels near each stadium with honest "how many minutes to walk/ride" framing — start with the city you're heading to.
June 11 – July 19, 2026 — 39 days, 104 matches. The opener is June 11 at Estadio Azteca, Mexico City (Mexico playing); the final is July 19 at MetLife Stadium, New York/New Jersey.
For the first time, 48 teams are split into 12 groups of four. The top two of each group plus the eight best third-placed teams (32 total) reach the knockouts, starting with a brand-new Round of 32 before the Round of 16.
Mexico City, at Estadio Azteca, on June 11, 2026, with host nation Mexico playing — a legendary venue that has hosted two previous World Cup finals (1970 and 1986).
Round of 32 spans 14 cities · Round of 16 in Houston, Philadelphia, New York/NJ, Mexico City, Dallas, Seattle, Atlanta, Vancouver · quarter-finals in Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, Kansas City · semis in Dallas + Atlanta · third place in Miami · final in New York/NJ.
Dallas (AT&T Stadium) hosts 9 — the most — including a semi-final, followed by New York/NJ, Los Angeles and Atlanta with 8 each. Guadalajara and Monterrey host 4 group-stage matches.
As early as possible — hotels within 10 km of a stadium rise 3–5× on match day and fill quickly · Money-saver: stay 15–20 km out or in a neighboring town and take the train/drive in; prices there rise only 30–80%. See which city to pick plus the per-stadium hotel guides above.
Pick your city → grab match tickets → lock in a hotel near the stadium. We've got guides for every step, including visas, budgets and flights.
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